Community Health Network

• Late Menstrual Period: 5 or more days overdue compared to usual menstrual cycle
• Missed Menstrual Period: no menstrual flow for more than 6 weeks

General Information

• The first day of menstrual bleeding is considered the first day of a new menstrual cycle.
• Menstrual bleeding typically lasts 3-7 days.
• Ovulation generally occurs around day 14 of the cycle.
• The length of the menstrual cycle varies from woman to woman. The range is from 24 to 35 days. The average is 28 days.

Causes

• Pregnancy is the most important cause. This possibility needs to be considered in any woman who has a missed or late period.
• Stress
• Dieting, exercise and weight loss
• Menopause
• Polycystic ovarian disease
• Birth control pills
• Depoprovera injection
• Pituitary and other endocrine disorders

Home Urine Pregnancy Tests

• Home urine pregnancy tests are inexpensive, accurate, and easy to use. Most drug stores sell these tests over-the-counter .
• Urine pregnancy tests can often diagnose pregnancy during the week after the first missed period (2 weeks after ovulation).
• Use of a first-morning urine specimen is recommended because the urine HCG concentration is highest in the morning.
• When a home pregnancy test is negative, but there is still a high suspicion of pregnancy, the woman should either repeat the test in 3-5 days or go to her doctor's office for testing.
• The urine pregnancy test can sometimes be falsely negative if the urine specimen is very bloody. A small amount of blood (e.g., blood-tinged urine) should not interfere with the accuracy of the test.
• More information is available at: http://www.4woman.gov/faq/pregtest.aspx.